However, applicants for the courses do not need to have a technical background.

It offers places to anyone looking at a switch in career. Among the 15 students on the inaugural 16-week course is a graduate who worked at Tesco for eight years, a television installer and a Hungarian radio presenter and bartender.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney, who opened the academy at the Codebase incubator in Edinburgh, said it was a “fascinating period for the digital sector in Scotland”.

Addressing a gathering of employers and agencies, he paid tribute to the efforts of Polly Purvis at trade body ScotlandIS who had worked on the idea with employers.

“We have moved as swiftly as we can to address the requirements identified by ScotlandIS. This is an initiative which has enormous potential,” said Mr Swinney.

It is estimated that the IT sector employs 84,000 people in Scotland, contributing £4 billion in added value to the economy.

However, the skills shortage has become an acute problem and employers have worked with ScotlandIS, Skills Development Scotland and other agencies to create the academy.

John McLelland, chairman of Skills Development Scotland, said: “When you walk around the building you sense the creativity and excitement.”

He added: “This is just a part of what we are doing. Digital World is a marketing campaign aimed at attracting young people into the industry.”